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(No Model.) I

G. J. WARDWELL 85 A. LANDON.

SELF GOUPLING GAR LINK. r No, 379,621, Patented Mar. 20, 1888.

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Ntra raras VERMONT.

SELF=COUPL|NG CAR-LINK.

SPECIFICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,621, dated March 20, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom, it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE JEFFARDs WARDWELL and ALBERT LANDON, citizens of the United States, residing at Rutland, in the county of Rutland and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Coupling Oar-Links; and wedo hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of said link, in which the solid end of the same is supposed to be attached by an ordinary link-pin to lthe buffer-head of a car which is stationarjgwhile the open-limbed end of the link isjust being entered by the link-pin in the buffer-head of an adjacent advancing car with which a coupling is to be effected. Fig. 2 is a like view showing the linkpin of an adjacent car as having` advanced in the direction of the arrow to about midway of the length of the car-link, the primary or draft latch,shown in Fig. l in working position, having been moved aside from such position across the path of the link-pin to its position outside of said path, as in Fig. 2, during the advanc ing movement of said link-pin. Fig. 3is alike view showing said link-pin as having entered the couplinglink to its fullest extent, while Fig. 4 is a central vertical longitudinal section of our self-coupling car-link with the coupling fully effected with an adjacent car, the coupling link-pin being shown in coupled position in section-lines in Fig. 4, but without section lines in Fig. l, this view, Fig. 4, also showing -our mode of holding the coupling-link in horizontal position, or nearly so, in order to effect a coupling between cars of the same height, while Fig. 5 is adiagram of the coupling-link, showing the same in a reversed and downwardly-proj ecting position for effectinga coupling between cars of unequal height.

In the drawings, A indicates our improved self-coupling car-link, through the rear solid end, a, of which is a hole, B, as shown, for the reception of elink-pin, b, by means of which to attach the link to the ordinary buffer-head of a railroad-car. This link A, which, preferably, we make of cast-steel, is constructed with a central open vertical slot, c, its entire length forward of its rear solid portion, a, thus forming projecting limbs, as A A2, on either side ofthe central vertical slot, c, and which limbs A Al at their terminating forward ends, a ai, are solid, while they are each constructed with horizontal slots, as c', between the rear solid portions, a, and forward solid portions, a u2, ofthe coupling-link.

In the slot c of thelimb A', and fitted therein so as to easily articulate upon a pivotpin, e, We provide a draft-latch, D, which, when thrown into action, as shown in Fig. 1, has its forward notched eud,0l, enter into the horizontal slot c of the limb A2, and with its forward surface, d', abutting against the solid extremity a2 of said limb, this being the normal position of the draft-latch D to receive the draft of the cars when coupled. Thus after a coupling is effected the coupling link-pin blz (shown in section-lines in Fig. 4 and without sectioirlines in Fig. l) works directly against said latch D, as shown, and in order that no draft or pull shall fall upon its pivot-pin c the draft-latch D is made with a slotted hole,f, to receive the pin e, on which it is pivoted, the draft or pull under such construction falling entirely upon the forward ends of the horizontal slots c of the limbs A A2.

In the slot c' of the limb A we also provide a secondary or setting latch, D', constructed in the form shown, and made to articulate on the pivot-pin e. Thislatch,in its lateral throw 7 within the slot c of the limb A', is arrested by having its rear end, g, strike upon a stop-pin, e?, of the limb A', while its lateral throw toward the limb A`Z and within its slot c is limited by the stop-pin e of the limb A2. It will thus be seen that in the operation of coupling, when the link-pin b2 (shown in section-lines in Fig. l) has entered the coupling-link A and passed on to its position therein, as shown in Fig. 2, the primary or draft latch D willhave been forced aside from its position shown in Fig. l into its position shown in Fig. 2 within the slot c of the limb A', thereby causing said latch D to press upon the forward end, g', of the secondary latch D and force such end aside into the slot c of limb A, as shown in Fig. 2, while this same act forces the forward end, g,

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of said latch laterally, out away from the slot c of the limb A', into the position shown in said figure, and with its end g entered into the slot c of the limb Az and abutting against the stoppin e3, said stop pin arresting such further movement. The link-pin b2, Fig. 2, continuing` to pass on in the direction of its arrow, will strike against the edge surface, h, of the secondary or setting latch D', and, in its passage over such surface, press the rear end of the setting-latch D laterally into the slot c of limb A until the latch is arrested by the contact of its end g upon the stop-pin e2, as shown in Fig. 3, but leaving a portion of said end projecting into the slot ein front of and arresting thefurther forward movement of the link-pin b2, while by this same act the end g of thelatch D and the draft-latch D wi ll be forced from their positions shown in Fig. 2 into their positions shown in Fig. 3, thereby leaving the draft-latch D,under the action ofthe setting-latch D', across the path of travel ofthe link-pin b2, in rear of said link-pin, as shown in Fig. 3, so that, the further forward movement of the link-pin having been arrested by contact between the end g ofthe latch D' and the limb A2,VA and a back action of the adjoining cars takingplace by reason of their bumper-heads coming together, which are to be coupled, the linkpin b2, Fig. 3, will beforced back against the draft-latch D and both link-pin and latch be made to assume the positions shown by the draft-latch D and the unsectioned link-pin b2 in Fig. l, thus fully completing the coupling of the adjoining cars.

It will be seen that the hole B in the solid end a a a a of the coupling-link A is beveled, as at m, on the front edge of the hole on one side of the coupling-link, and on the back edge of the hole, as at m', on the opposite side of said link, this being done for the purpose of allowing the coupling-link to have a horizontal position, or nearly so, when used one side up, as shown in Fig. 4, while by turning the Y link over it will have a downward pitch, as shown in Fig. 5, and thus favor its entering the buffer head of a car which is somewhat lower than one which only can be entered when the link is in horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 4. Y

It will be seen that our improved car-link is self-coupling; that it can only be uncoupled by the withdrawal of the link-pin b,- that the coupling-latches D D are simple in form and not subject to undue wear when in actionor liable to get out of order, and that our coupling-link can be utilized in connection with most of the buffer-heads of railroad-cars now in use.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with an open end slot' ted coupling-link, A, of the horizontal pivoted draft-latch D and the pivoted setting-latch D', substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The coupling -link A, provided with a link-pin hole, B, having bevels in reverse relation to each other, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. rlDhe draft-link D, provided with an elongated pivot-hole, f, in combination with limbs A A2, having horizontal slots c and solid terminating ends a a2, substantially as and for the purpose described.-

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE JEFFARDS WARDWELL. ALBERT LANDON. Witnesses:

W. F. EDDY, OHAs. CLARK. 

